Chapter 14
"….And so
Voldemort returned, and last year we tried to make people aware of it,"
Dumbledore explained to Giles, Cordelia and Oz.
"I can't believe there's this whole
magic world that we just didn't know about," said Cordelia.
"They share similarities with us though," Oz mused. "Another werewolf. Fascinating."
Harry, Dumbledore and Moody had spent the lat fifteen minutes explaining to the others about the Wizarding world and about Voldemort.
Behind
Harry, who was perched on the sofa, the door opened and Xander and Willow came into the room.
"Did Buffy sort things out with Joyce?"
Giles asked them. They glanced at each other.
"Well, we didn't exactly get that far," Willow admitted, "We kind of had a…heated
discussion on the way there, and Buffy went ahead on her own." Giles frowned, a
crease appearing between his eyes. Xander and Willow exchanged another glance.
"We just told her that we weren't over
happy about the way she left, and that it wasn't the greatest thing she had
come back" he said awkwardly.
"You said what?" Harry said, standing up. "You idiot. Do you know how excited she was to be coming home? After what she's been through."
"You don't know what it's been like for us," Willow said, her eyes flashing. "She left
without a word us."
"Right, it's been so hard for you,"
Harry said sarcastically. "I thought you were supposed to be her friends. You
have no idea."
"About Angel?" Xander broke in, "Yeah she told
us." He looked away from Harry's angry gaze.
"What about Angel?" Giles said, his
frown deepening.
"It turns out my spell worked," Willow said quietly. "But too late, and
she had to kill him when he had got his soul back." Silence descended on the
room. Giles took off his glasses and polished them, then placed them back on
his head.
"And you said what to her?" he said in a
pained voice, addressing Willow and Xander. They had the grace to
look sheepish.
"That she was maybe a tiny bit selfish
for leaving like she did," Willow said in a small voice. Giles rubbed
his forehead.
"Do you realise what you could have done?" he
said heatedly. "What if she doesn't come back?"
"We didn't mean to do that," Willow said quickly. "I mean I'm so glad
she's back, I am. Just seeing her back kind of reminded me what the last months
have been like. We just lost it. But I didn't know about Angel."
"No wonder
she left," Giles said sadly. "What she had to got through, and then for him to
come back, only for her to have to take him away again." The phone rang, and
distractedly, Giles reached for it.
Harry glared at Willow and Xander, wondering how Buffy could have spoken about them in the
passionate way she had, and they could treat her like this.
Giles hung up the phone.
"That was Mrs Summers," he informed
them. "She and Buffy had an argument too, much of the same stuff, and Buffy
left. She wanted to know whether she was here." He sighed.
"She comes home, and all we do is berate
her for things she had no control over. She won't want to stay now."
"Where is she then?" Harry asked. "I can
understand why she wouldn't want to see you guys, and her mother, but she would
come to us, I know it. She loves Hogwarts." Xander scowled at Harry, but he
ignored him.
"It is important that we find her,"
Dumbledore said.
"Well let's go then," Xander said, standing
up.
"I don't think it is a good idea for you
to come," Dumbledore said calmly. "She might not respond to you." Xander opened
his mouth, but Giles silence him.
"I agree," he said. "I will go, and
Harry, Albus and Alastor. You four stay here, to see if she comes back."
The four left the house, Giles going one way, Moody, Dumbledore and Harry the other.
Buffy
yawned widely, brushing blond tendrils of hair out of her face. She was cold,
but she supposed that was because she had somehow kicked off the bed coverings.
She tried to reach down to pull them up, but her fingertips touched stone floor
and she gasped and opened her eyes, staring directly into the open eyes of
Angel.
"Angel," Buffy breathed. "You're here."
He looked back at her and kissed her gently.
She snuggled into her chest.
"How?" she whispered to him. "I mean,
the Acathla, and you were taken." He kissed the top of her head.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I was somewhere
hot, unbearably hot, and it was painful, and then I was here, with you. I love
you so much Buffy." She silenced him with another kiss.
"I don't care, I really don't," she said
softly. "Just as long as you're here. I though I'd lost you forever." Sunlight
blossomed through the doors but it did not touch them where they lay.
Buffy heard footsteps sounding on the stone floor outside and looked up,
unwilling to remove herself from Angel's embrace and he was not willing to
release her.
Professor Dumbledore, Harry and Moody stood in the doorway that led to the
courtyard.
"You've got some explaining to do girl,"
Moody growled. Buffy and Angle, entangled in one another, got up.
"Dumbledore?" Angel said, taken aback. He
wasn't the only one.
"You know him?" Buffy exclaimed.
"We met a long time ago, when I had just
got my soul. I was living in New York eating rats when Dumbledore comes
to me, and introduces me to Whistler. This guy who helped me," Angel explained.
"We kept in touch after that."
"I met him
I think," Buffy said wrinkling her nose. "Annoying guy, big with the cryptic?"
"And old friend of mine," Dumbledore
said smiling slightly. "I'm not often baffled, but when I am, I am completely
so." Buffy smiled ruefully.
"I'm baffled too," she admitted. "I was
here, saying my goodbye to Angel, I put my ring down, turned to leave and he
just appeared."
"Wait a second, you're Angel?" Harry
said suddenly. "But, you were dead."
"Since 1753 actually," Angel said. "Who
are you?"
"Long story," Buffy said. "In short,
left Sunnydale after all the Acathla stuff, went to LA, met Dumbledore, and
went to Hogwarts to look out for Harry."
"Harry Potter?" Angel said his eyes
widening.
"Yes, Harry Potter," Moody spoke for the
first time since he had arrived. "Angelus, the scourge of Europe I believe. You'd better keep your
fangs where we can see them."
"Alastor, Angel has a soul," Dumbledore
said placatingly. "He's has done since 1898."
"He's still a vampire," growled Moody, narrowing
his eyes with dislike.
Buffy stepped in front of Angel.
"Look, I'm not dealing with this now,"
she said determinedly. "Where's everyone else?"
"We came looking for you when your friends
told us what had happened." Harry said as a way of explanation. Buffy's eyes
hardened for a second, and then she relaxed.
"Are they all at Giles' still?" she
asked with an oddly strained voice.
"Rupert is searching for you as we were,"
Dumbledore said, looking at her carefully. Buffy and Angel exchanged glances.
"Then we have to leave," Buffy said
quickly. "We can't stay here." Dumbledore looked at Buffy questioningly.
"I killed her," Angel said suddenly. "Miss
Calendar. And Giles wanted to kill me." Dumbledore and Moody nodded,
understanding.
"They can't know Angel is back," Buffy
said in a low voice. "I have to sort stuff out with them, but they can't know,
not yet." Dumbledore nodded.
"I trust your judgement," he said. "Angel, you
will have to go to Hogwarts, I can send you to a dungeon, but you cannot leave
until we return. It would cause panic." Angel nodded. Dumbledore took out his
wand and began searching for a suitable portkey object.
Angel turned to Buffy.
"I'll be with you soon," he said hoarsely, and she nodded, her eyes glistening with tears. He kissed her then took the portkey Dumbledore gave him, and was whisked away.
Seconds
after that, Giles came rushing into the Mansion.
"Buffy," he gasped. "Thank goodness we
found you. You must come back, Xander and Willow, they're fools, and they didn't
mean it. Neither did your mom." Buffy offered his a small smile and followed
him out of the mansion. She looked back at Dumbledore, Moody and Harry who
followed them. They all knew that her look was swearing them to secrecy.
